


A Destiny Entwined

by PastaUnit01



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, Dark, F/M, Lylat System, Science Fiction, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-23 00:37:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2527508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastaUnit01/pseuds/PastaUnit01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A crash landing in an odd location has given the two remaining members of the Star Fox team the beginning of a new adventure. It seems, however, that the winds of fate have caused Fox to tangle with a new and peculiar face in an entirely different realm, and another impending disaster from afar threatens the Lylat as it recovers from its earlier conflicts. Not much time remains...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Vortex

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Considering my own schedule, I’ve put a considerable amount of work into this piece.
> 
> Just so you know, I’m one of those typical authors who puts too much on his plate, and so I’ll have these hiatus/non-hiatus periods where I’ll be on for about two to three weeks before I fall off again and let my account get covered in a foot-thick layer of dust. This story’s a year old, and I’m glad to have written this much for my first one, but there are a thousand things that continuously pop up on my revision and editing checklist every time I read through it again… It was absolutely hilarious going through my earlier chapters the first time I decided to make changes. “Holy hell, how did this happen?!” And so on…
> 
> Anyways, this story involves a lot of different things… It has tragedy, action, suspense, a touch of romance, and a few other genres, I’m sure, just ones that I can’t name off the top of my head. Yes, it mainly involves my OC, but I would say he plays a role equally as important as Fox’s.
> 
> I hope you all like it! Shoot me a comment if it tickles your fancy enough.
> 
> -PastaUnit-

The stars were quiet.

After years of struggling to maintain elongated peace within the Lylat System, things had finally become tranquil. The effects of the three wars which rippled through the whole of the galaxy itself had finally been shaken off. After the wrath of Andross, the horrid Aparoids, and the assault made by the Anglars, recovery was a difficult term to grasp the meaning of.

Of course, there was the one team of skilled fighters that had prevailed through every hellish flame of battle they were confronted with… This team was widely respected, adulated, famed, and incredibly talented. They were, without any doubt, the Star Fox squad. However, after each recognition and every bit of history made from their astonishing feats, there was never any bed of roses waiting. While they took care of business successfully on the exterior, the interior of the team was rapidly diminishing.

The squad had originally consisted of very distinguished figures, all with their own unique set of skills and attributes… Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, Krystal, and the leader, Fox McCloud. Though they had mainly stuck together, problems were clearly developing.

Fox had more than a handful to deal with. The relationship he had hoped to develop with Krystal, the love he had longed for desperately, had fallen apart completely to leave him heartbroken and devastated. Slippy, the team's main source of morale and spirit, had decided to spend time with his new wife Amanda and start a family on another planet (of course, still vowing to keep in contact with the remainder of the team). Peppy had retired his role after so many years of service and was made general of the Cornerian military. Falco, along with ROB 64, had remained by Fox's side not only after Slippy left the stage but also ever since Krystal adamantly made the decision to leave them. To make matters worse, the Star Wolf team was still lurking throughout the Lylat, causing many other sticky situations which often lead to disastrous results when Star Fox intervened in order to try and bring things to a close.

Fox had lost many of his closest friends and felt isolated, at times depressed and without a valid cause to travel through outer space on the Great Fox, the admirable vessel that once held a much more incredible team than what was left. He and Falco were still attempting to keep the string from snapping, but with little strength, as both were almost at an inconsolable state.

It was at this time they were cruising past Zoness, on their way to Aquas for their monthly rendezvous with Slippy and his wife.

…

"Is it just me, or has this hunk of junk gotten slower over the decade?"

An impatient grumble escaped the sneering beak of Falco as he stood near the front of the Great Fox's bridge, posing cross-armed and gazing out the window into the nothingness which stood between Zoness and the team's destination.

Fox calmly replied, not a far distance from Falco, "Relax… Maybe you're right, but complaining isn't going to make things much better."

"Alright," Falco sighed, "When's the estimated time of arrival?"

A monotonous mechanical tone echoed from the main control panel.

"Approximately seven hours," ROB responded.

"And we're still stuck here… perfect. Might as well try and find another way to kill time." Falco turned around and began to make his exit from the bridge, his hands in his pockets and his expression unchanged.

_He's right… She's grown quite aged, even when she was restored after the Anglar wars._ Fox thought to himself as he sat back into a nearby chair and lounged, trying to relax. The vulpine had already reminisced so many times today and during the past week, but he knew that eventually his daydreams would have to come to a close so that he could reluctantly snap back to reality and concentrate on what he did best at the current moment… which was to aimlessly drift through and patrol the planets as though he were a useless cop. Thus, he closed his eyes and tried to take a nap as the door slid closed once Falco had left the room. ROB's working pace did not cease in the meantime as Fox's dozing dragged on for a few hours.

A beeping noise rudely awakened the tired vulpine after a considerable amount of time had passed. Rubbing his eyes and clearing his throat, he recognized the sound as a communications request. It was Slippy, checking in on Star Fox's progress.

Fox ordered ROB to trigger the hologram generator in the center of the room and spoke quietly, "Hey, Slip. What's up?"

The hologram displayed a view of Slippy's head, his eyes with their same positive shine and his familiar smile being exhibited. He chimed, "Just seeing how things on your end are! I've gotten everything prepared for your arrival, Fox!"

"You're always so considerate. The team's really been missing you, but it makes up for the loss whenever we go out to Aquas to see your family, you know?" Fox put on the best smile he could muster in return, even though he was still quite noticeably drowsy.

Slippy's excitement grew, regardless of his former leader’s exhaustion, and his head nodded quickly, "Yeah, definitely! It's a real treat having you around, and plus the kids really love listening to all of our epic war accounts! Makes for twice the charm when you have two veterans, eh?"

"Hah, I'm glad they enjoy them a lot. I don't know if I have many more, but I'll fish around."

"Aw don't worry, you'll come up with s-"

_*click*_

Spontaneously, the connection was lost. Fox blinked his eyes in confusion. "Slip? Where'd you go? ROB, gimme a status update."

The robot responded as commanded, "There is an apparent interference. Cause unknown."

As Fox opened his mouth to question, Falco hurriedly walked into the room and fixed him with a bewildered stare. "Hey, I've been hearing these noises coming from behind the Great Fox. I can hear them now, too. What's the hubbub?"

The two teammates curiously headed towards the front window. They panoramically scanned the surrounding area, noticing Aquas was still quite a distance away from them, but then there were a few tiny flashes of light that flickered in that same vicinity. The blue-feathered avian blinked a few times and wondered to himself while craning his neck forward and tilting his head. _Is that a scuffle? I thought the radars said that this sector was clear of any other ships. What the hell gives?_

“The interference has become visible. Sources are still unidentifiable.” ROB added after a few seconds of silence.

To the duo’s dismay, the flashes grew brightly… In fact, they were expanding at a frightening pace. They also noticed a light, violet tint that colored the outer space as whatever was in front of the Great Fox occupied a much greater mass with each second that ticked by. It looked like a storm cloud… but since ROB couldn’t bring up any matching info on what it could possibly have been, Fox and Falco prepared themselves for the worst.

All of a sudden, the lights in the bridge went out in a strobe flash. The familiar electric whir of the main power generator, which was the gargantuan mechanism vital to the Great Fox’s survival that normally didn’t experience any issues, ceased in an instant. It was almost as black on the inside of the control room as it was on the other side of the window, with the exception of a few stars that provided meager luminescence to keep the shadows of a few objects in the room distinguishable. Other than that, Fox and Falco remained fearfully rooted to the spot, unable to see anything around them.

During that moment, Falco slowly turned his head around and stole a glance at ROB, who was also frozen in place, powerless after the electricity disappeared. He swallowed and felt himself breathe faster once he realized that even the backup power was completely shot since ROB was the primary machine that was supposed to function on reserve energy even after all of the grids within the vessel were down. The avian silently cursed to himself and frantically wondered if there was any immediate solution to this sudden predicament. How was it that everything could turn into trouble so quickly after so much as a simple communication hindrance occurred?

"Oh, no…" Fox's eyes widened in fear as the ‘interference’ was closing in on the crew fast from a short distance away. Falco’s question was interrupted and remained unanswered once he noticed out of the corner of his eye that his leader had pointed a trembling finger towards something outside the window. "Look there!"

As Falco glanced out the window, his stomach somersaulted twice and he took a step back. They were in the presence of a huge blob of blackened precipitation, crackling with electricity and booming with thunder, as it approached the Great Fox at blinding speeds. Falco cursed again and forced himself to burst into action, heading straight for the control panel.

"Holy shit… Let’s turn this tin can around and book the hell out of here!"

Fox could only stand still and watch in horror as the giant, furious cloud gave no chance for the bulky aircraft to escape, engulfing it fully in a dark uproar. The ship overturned, throwing Fox and Falco against the opposite wall with a loud grunt before the avian could even get his hands on the dashboard, and their surroundings were filled with whirling twisters that flashed with huge lightning bolts and echoed with deafening explosions of thunder. Machinery and metal was ripped from the floor and thrown chaotically about the room. Wires and pipes snapped and sparked as they waved and cracked against the whole interior as though they were whip lashes.

In the midst of the roaring turbulence, Fox at last managed to bark out an order, "Grab something that’s still attached to the floor and don't let go!"

He and Falco both found an object or a chair that was thankfully still rooted into place and clung to it tenaciously through the wild ride. The ship's speed had increased ten-fold as if they were entering hyperspace. It seemed at the moment like that was what was bound to happen… The Great Fox continued to overturn and flip through the raging storm like it was being sealed in a gyro sphere, and soon all other sounds, including the panicked bellowing and screaming that came from Fox and Falco, were drowned out in the midst of the space maelstrom.

And so, the Great Fox continued to spiral deeper into the booming hellhole minute by minute, and the team was not sure where they could possibly be going or how they could ever find a way to recover from this disaster. The black cloud disappeared from outer space, taking the Great Fox as sacrifice without leaving a trace, but before that, Fox squinted his eyes shut even tighter while clinging to whatever was planted on the floor of the control room after everything else had been uprooted and smashed into the walls and ceiling.

It was funny… Somehow, they had gotten themselves in a situation that seemed all too familiar. It started with a bit of incomprehensible static and turned into a spatial hurricane in just the blink of an eye.

Fox had a stream of questions flowing through his mind, and at the time he felt like he should have been worrying since his beloved battleship was in danger of being blown to bits yet again, but the commotion that ensued around him grew into nothing but a muffle. The vulpine relaxed and found his vision fading into white, then he decided to disregard his questions and loosen himself from his senses.

That’s when he lost his grip on consciousness.

…


	2. Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So here we go. That intro escalated pretty quickly, didn’t it?
> 
> All I can say now is that it only gets better. What I’m going to do here is give a brief backstory on Sky before continuing with the main plot, so don’t worry. Just bear with me through this chapter and just a little more so that you can get to the good stuff.
> 
> Thanks again.
> 
> -PastaUnit-

It was a quiet morning. Beams of sunlight broke through the leaves and tree branches of a dense forest area, illuminating the lush, grassy ground as it gave off a satisfied hum. The environment was slowly ignited into life.

A brilliant winged creature swooped close to the ground and gained altitude steadily. It was decently sized, resembling the appearance of a bird. Its movements and agility were similar to those of a hawk, the color of its plumage rather exotic like a macaw's, and its beak long and pointed like a pterodactyl's. It zoomed through the herb-scented atmosphere underneath the long tree branches and around their trunks, traveling through hills and valleys while following a softened, earthy trail cut into a pathway towards a distant location.

It was at that moment in which a second brilliant sphere of radiance lifted itself off the horizon to join the other burning star, causing the forested area to become jubilant with activity. The exotic bird weaved through the clumps of wood, finally coming to a slow-down at a line which separated the incredible forest from a vast, colorful field of long grass, waving back and forth gently in the morning gust.

The bird then soared into the air higher than before. A view down onto the continuing trail through the grass below revealed that civilization was not far away. Small huts began appearing, and it wasn't long before the land became denser with them. They turned into structures consisting more of stone and crystal until finally, a village came into perspective.

It was a breathtaking sight… And the village was quite populated, too, despite its small size. The town's squares and streets were filled with brilliant crystalline architecture. The inhabitants maneuvered in and out of the buildings in huddled masses as they normally went about their business. They boasted an interesting culture, yet their primitive ways explained a lack of interstellar knowledge… Nothing was known about what was far outside of the village. They were, as they were made to believe over their history, the only intelligent beings of life that existed. In return, they were an undiscovered race, completely unheard of in the entirety of their own galaxy.

The population consisted of only one particular species: the lynx. Their fur was a beautiful white color, each and every villager being distinguishable only by the pattern of black stripes worn across their body. Some shrouded themselves in a woolen cloak while others displayed a more festive and colorful attire, depending on their relations to the main throne of power. The further away a lynx was to the line of the throne in the family tree, the more obligated he or she was to serve the ruler devotedly. The closer a lynx was to the throne, the more freedom he or she possessed along with rights and authority.

However… almost no power was exerted over one another. The villagers lived harmoniously in equality. The ruler was carefully chosen for this purpose in order to assure that no sort of corruption would every interrupt the serenity of its people. The ruler was kind, thoughtful, loving, and well-respected. The ruler was also strong, wise, knowledgeable, and believed to hold a certain divinity. Rituals took place to cherish the existence of this incredible land… Ceremonies, vigils, celebrations, and specific seasons all withheld a somewhat religious cause, yet there was no higher order. Life itself was worshipped. Everyone had, of course, different personalities, but similar beliefs. The young matured at a very fast pace, and adults were quite responsible and caring.

This seemingly utopian landscape was known as Zelenoa.

And so, the vivacious bird that had flown all the way from its home in the jungle began to circle around one small hut in particular. Spotting a place to land at last, it flapped its wondrous wings to slow down and grabbed hold of a thin branch that extended towards the hut’s window. By now, the joyous commotion of the village was at its fullest. Seeming to reciprocate the surrounding vibes, the bird ruffled its feathers in satisfaction and cleared its throat.

…

A familiar chirping sound began to echo.

It then grew with volume and resonated within the small area of a brightly lit room. Through its only window, the suns sent swirls of light onto the ground as they danced around the walls and ceiling. A small sleeping mat rested in the middle of the earthy surface of the quarters. Within that bundle of quilted covering, a young lynx slumbered soundly as the chirping continued to grow louder. It touched the lynx with a bit of irritation as he stirred, trying to make the noise go away, but his eyes were forced open.

With a grumble, the lynx sat up in his covers and looked at the small cylindrical rock sitting beside his mat. He muttered almost inaudibly in native tongue, "It's too early…"

On top of the rock perched an exotic bird, seeming to smile pleasantly at the awakening young boy. He squawked quietly in return, pronouncing in the same language, "Indeed, but such a glorious day this is! Do you not agree, Poljska?"

The disgruntled lynx blinked at the creature through narrowed eyes, "Only my family can call me that. You may be a pet, but you aren't quite there yet."

The bird playfully shrugged and craned its neck, "Oh, surely! After the long journey I took all the way through the Zelenoan wilderness just to make sure you did not receive a scolding from your mother? A stressful job for a pterolark, that is."

"I guess you're right, Kuna..." The lynx stood up and stretched tiredly. "Please, just stick to calling me Sky for now, okay?"

"As you please, Sky." Kuna nodded. The pterolark's wings opened and closed slowly as he loosened his muscles in preparation for the long journey back to his nest. "Luck through the forest, you will wish me?"

"Yes. You may go." Sky replied with a nod and finally managed a smile. With that, Kuna swooped down and spiraled out of the window with one final squawk.

The tired lynx rolled out of his mat after pushing the covers back, standing up and brushing himself off before draping his upper body with a small cloak and putting on a long pair of cotton pants which seemed baggy around his ankles. After readying himself, he passed through a wooden doorway to the outside, which was extremely bright compared to his shady hut. Used to this change in brightness, Sky didn’t even flinch.

He made his way over to a larger hut, one with multiple rooms and a larger doorway. A couple was standing near the entrance, a middle-aged female lynx and a strong, tall male lynx. A smile appeared on both faces.

The male spoke in a quiet yet husky tone, "Ah, Gray Sky has awakened at last." His arms were crossed and his face brightened proudly. "How do you feel today, son?"

Sky looked up and greeted him in return, "Hello, Father. The weather’s pretty nice today.”

"Poljska, why don't you eat something? Certainly you must be hungry." A sweet, soothing tongue spoke out in the same quiet manner. Sky became eager as he realized that his stomach was rumbling.

"Mother, did you cook anything for breakfast?"

She nodded with a warm giggle, "Yes, dear. There is bread and milk on the table."

"You're the best!" He ran up and happily hugged his parents. They hugged back tightly and laughed after they released the excited child to go into the larger hut. Afterwards, the two began to exchange hello’s and how-do-you-do’s to the passersby that waved cheerfully in return.

…

Fox was sprinting through a long, narrow corridor that seemingly stretched on forever. There wasn't any recognizable surface, nor walls or ceiling… It was just emptiness. Pitch black emptiness. Adrenaline pumped rapidly through his body as he picked up speed and momentum. Beads of sweat were flying off of his wet clothing and trailing behind him as he ran…

But what was he running from? Who? Where?

There was nothing but darkness. He couldn't see anything, but he sensed the approaching of something mysterious. The feeling in his gut only willed him forward in his mad sprint, even though he couldn’t feel nor hear his feet hit the surface. All of a sudden, he heard footsteps… but they weren’t his own. It was definitely someone. Whoever it was, they were closing in gradually, so Fox sped up his pace and tried to lose him.

Of course, as he predicted, it was no use… The footsteps echoed right behind him. The vulpine’s movements became quite frantic in order to escape his pursuit, but it was all to no avail. Yet abruptly, the chase came to a stop. The area grew eerily silent. Regardless, Fox continued to run, but he had wondered if the figure who was hounding after him had disappeared… Why did that happen?

Fox then had to stop dead in his tracks as a completely white silhouette materialized in front of him. He grunted and slid across the nothingness, skidding his boots and attempting to change direction. He turned left and began sprinting again, this time fueled even more by panic. He dropped onto a slope, almost causing him to lose his footing as a startled rush of anxiety passed through his body and caused his stomach to lurch, but he regained balance and pressed onward.

The silence was interrupted by a whisper that arose from the darkness.

"You cannot control the winds of fate… You cannot control the winds of fate…"

Once the echoing ceased, Fox's footing disappeared. The vulpine’s stomach somersaulted as he fell in a downward spiral, plunging deeper into the black realm. His brain was being rattled with questioning thoughts yet again, just like his state of mind during the vortex that swallowed the Great Fox. He couldn’t grasp anything while he fell, but because he didn’t experience any sense of gravity or feel wind flowing upward, it was almost as though he were suspended by cables in midair… Instead, he could have sworn that he sensed the presence of a puppeteer that controlled the cables, but he couldn’t define anything past that. It was an unknown force that determined his body movements… a force that he couldn’t overcome.

Thoughts of what the odd whispering meant filled his questioning mind. He closed his eyes during the plummet, and his body faded in a matter of seconds until nothing remained.

…

"Here in Zelenoa, times have always been peaceful. In fact, the land was occupied relatively recently, and since then…"

Yawns crept their way out of a young group of students' mouths as yet another dreadfully boring lecture of history was being given by the professor. Breaking away from the crowd, which was huddled in front of the aged adult, another student hid himself among the shelves and desks set up around the classroom they were all trapped in. Unbalanced stacks of books were piled around him as he sat cross-legged while heavily engrossed in a rather large piece of text, which was written in hieroglyphics.

_There has to be more… Our race is too small to be the only one in existence._

The young student's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the professor had noticed his absence from the cluster. Without making a sound, he placed the book down and crept his way around the shelves where the old lynx was not directing his attention.

"Gray Sky, where have you gone? We have just arrived at the most important part of today's lesson," the professor inquired.

Almost as soon as he had asked that question, Sky had raised his hand to make himself visible, and he was sitting on the other side of the circle where the confused teacher was not looking.

"Oh… There you are," he added a bit more quietly after finally noticing, blinking his eyes in confusion. "I wonder if my eyesight is getting any worse… Now then. Back to the era…"

As the professor redirected his attention to his textbook, he failed to notice Sky sneak off yet again without making a single noise. He had already made it back to his stacks of advanced reading before the lesson was continued for more than a sentence.

"There were no major wars, no outstanding leaders, and no differences in government…"

Sky concentrated immensely as he tried to interpret page after page of millennium-old hieroglyphics. His research was not taking him far.

_The outside of this land is known as "outer space?" But… What is this formation called as a whole? It can't all be Zelenoa._

"In this land, a specific tradition remains clung to after all these years. Anyone who openly proposes or argues against our ancestral theories is not supportive of the ideal of life itself. That person is then labeled an outcast."

Sky continued to dig deeper inside the text. The interpretations all translated into the same meaning, looped repeatedly. How useless.

_It's so simple… There's nothing behind these stories. Is it all there just to make our elders sound that much more important? It can't be right since the idea is to praise for there being life._

No matter which book Sky picked up, its variations were highly correlated to his previous findings. At times, the writings progressed very incoherently, but the same message seemed to appear in every bit of Zelenoan history…

"As you all know, our native tongue is Celestian."

That part was obvious. A challenge to others, the expansive language known as Celestian came naturally to Sky, even during his youth. He couldn’t explain how, but he was familiar with it almost as much as a credited historian, and because of that, there were a few in his village that called him a prodigy, which he often took quite modestly as an exaggeration. That was the only thing which helped him stand out in a crowd… Other than that, he was quite inconspicuous and possessed almost no other outstanding abilities. Therefore, he devoted more of his time to studying and finding the answers to questions that nobody else would ever think to ask.

_Ever since I was young, it's been the easiest thing for me to pick up. How so? What makes it harder for others to understand it? _  
Suddenly, he paused and widened his eyes in deep thought.__

__"… Our native tongue is Celestian."_ _

__The last part of the professor's sentence. It was setting off an alarm of realization inside Sky's head. What could it have meant though?_ _

__"Celestian."_ _

___That's… That's it! The name of our language! It might have come from another place. Or it could relate to… the name of whatever this whole thing is called. I think it’s a… a planet?_ _ _

__He found through a tad bit of astronomical research all the qualities of a so-called ‘planet.’ However, Sky had yet to prove that the land in which the lynxes thrived on could have been defined as such since no information whatsoever had been collected about what could possibly be endless expanses of land and wilderness that surrounded his village._ _

__Could it have been Celestia?_ _

__He thought about that for a bit. Sure, that could have led to a few things, like setting out to discover what the name of the planet was, if it turned out to be a planet, but who would ever want to go that far? It was nothing but a dumb theory, and Sky knew that whatever the elders would have to remark about it would most likely include one ten-year-old boy getting in way over his head and foolishly disclaiming evidence that had supposedly been built upon for at least a millennium._ _

__Thoroughly unenthusiastic, Sky rejoined his group after placing the texts back and pondered upon the subject until it was time for all youth to dismiss from school._ _

__…_ _


	3. To Make a Journey

"Hey, bud…"

There was a familiar voice, muffled for some odd reason. Where was it coming from? All Fox could see was darkness…

"I know you can hear me, come on."

The voice grew somewhat less muted. All Fox could remember was falling into that black pit. Now he could hear some kind of howling wind.

"Bro, wake up! It's not safe for us here!"

Fox's eyes slit open very slowly. Of course, his double-vision made everything blurry, and his other senses were trying to recover from the same numbness… He moaned and moved his head over to the side, "W… What in the… F-Falco?"

"Yeah, it's me. Now wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We gotta get moving and I can't carry you around that much longer."

Fox's sight still wasn't perfect by any means, but it became clear enough so that he could focus on Falco's face, staring worriedly down at his own. Swirling winds roared around the two, and nothing else could be distinguished in their relative location… They remained stationary over a thin layer of snow, and their bodies were well hidden by the surrounding flurries.

As Fox assessed these facts, his eyes shot open and all of his senses finally became active. He tried to sit up, but pain shot through his weakened body at that instant. He gripped his forehead in agony and grunted, squinting his eyes shut once more while he leaned on his hand.

"Ugh! What in the world?!"

Falco's boots crunched into the snow as he knelt down next to his comrade, placing a wing on his shoulder. He spoke softly, "I don't think you're gonna like what's going on…"

Fox brushed the piled-up snow off of his body and finally managed to sit up, looking at Falco with a panicked, yet inquisitive expression.

"Well, give it to me straight then."

Falco's wing pointed into the distance to a gigantic object. Only its silhouette could be seen through the snowstorm, but as the two slowly stood up and walked closer, Fox gasped in absolute shock while his pupils shrunk.

He stuttered almost inaudibly, "T… That's the…!"

"You're right. There she is."

Details on the object could now be fully made out as the two stood a much shorter distance away from it. Towering above them was the Great Fox. Its bridge was buried into the snow and only its afterburners jutted out from the thick mountains of ice built around it. Certain areas of the wings and hull belched out smoke while sparks crackled out of gaping holes made into its backside. It seemed as though it were impossible to remove the craft from the ground, and repairs were way out of the question.

Fox's gaze averted towards the ground in dismay. He cursed under his breath and clenched his fist, forcing himself to turn his head away from the wreckage site. This couldn’t have been happening again… He and Falco had gone through too much just to see that this one souvenir, the vessel that had carried them through to victory countless times, remained intact and functional. The vulpine wanted to scream out in frustration, but all he could manage was a dejected frown with furrowed brows.

Falco, with his arms crossed and his gaze firmly focused on the ship, spoke up, "After our little unexpected voyage, everything took a turn for the worst. ROB was dislodged from the control panel and you had slammed your head against something. Once you got all bruised from being tossed all over the place, I found you and took you with me as we escaped from that heap of trouble. We somehow ended up here, and all of our communications are down… This definitely isn't Fichina, because otherwise we would have been found and brought back to some military base nearby."

"So… this is it?"

"We're stuck in some wasteland. For now, at least… All we can do is try and find some way out of here."

Fox exhaled heavily, "Well then let's get moving. Unfortunately, we have to leave the Great Fox here for right now, because it won't do any good risking the energy we have fumbling around in all those dangerous piles of scrap metal.”

The two both loosened up and began to trudge through the hills against the direction of the flurries. They would have yet to figure out their exact location, but that wasn't their primary concern…

…

Sky was awake at night when the outside had darkened considerably. The sweet song of the pterolarks drifted across the landscape and danced into the lynx's ears. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, sitting up in his sleeping mat. A candle lit on his rock stand was the only source of light other than the soft glow filtering through the window in his hut.

Far away, a mysterious object, gigantic in size and brilliantly shining, floated over the calm village of Zelenoa. There was an apparent atmosphere surrounding the object, shrouding it in a white misty cloud as it augmented into a much larger size than the two suns combined during the daytime. This huge sphere was known as Div Sablast, meaning "giant ghost," because of its ghastly yet beautiful qualities. It also mysteriously disappeared from the night on every second sundown for reasons unknown.

The luminescence emanating from Div Sablast delicately brushed against the walls and surface of Sky's shed, concocting with the candle's flickering radiance to create a calming air which placated the senses and soothed the tiredness of the lynx’s body.

Sky's eyes opened once again. His pupils glimmered in the candlelight like topaz jewels as they blinked a few times before focusing directly in front of him. Sky reached a hand up to brush his fingers gently through his lengthened locks of hair, which covered the top of his head and flowed seemingly like a stream of water around both of his ears. Smaller tufts of hair arose from the tips of his ears as they were perked and alert to any other possible sounds in his environment. The rest of his hair dropped in broad lavender streaks across his eyes and around the back of his head, almost touching his shoulders. His round and smoothly formed face was tranquil, showing an unwrinkled thin layer of snow white fur. His nose was smaller in comparison to the other features of his countenance, as were the thin whiskers that sprouted from both of its sides. His lips were slightly pursed in concentration as his mind entered a state of serenity to reflect the present setting.

Sky sat cross-legged in the center of his hut, taking extended deep breaths and slowing his body down in order to prepare it for rest. The call of the pterolarks seemed to up its volume until a familiar creature flew into the window and perched once again on Sky's cylindrical stand.

"Very late, it is. Why are you not asleep?" The bird cocked its head to the side while quietly inquiring in a Celestian squawk.

Without altering his position, the lynx calmly greeted the pterolark in return, "Hey, Kuna. My dad taught me meditation because it calms the mind, so I figured, why not do it before sleeping? It lets me have better dreams."

Kuna chimed positively while moving his head back and forth from content, "My, you know quite a lot for a ten-year-old. I guess the theory of rapidly maturing young is favorably correct."

"You didn't believe that?" Sky still refrained from averting his gaze.

"Of course I didn't. For such intelligent life forms, it normally requires a much larger amount of time to fully mature."

"You would know more than the rest of my siblings. For some reason, I’m the only one interested in learning… the only one who ever asks why. My classmates always looked at me like I was some lunatic whenever I tried to drag them into whatever I was studying or trying to figure out." Sky drew a heavy sigh and blinked his eyes slowly.

"Very much you have learned, without a doubt," Kuna nodded. "That you will continue to see from different perspectives, I hope."

As the bird began to fly out of the window, Sky turned towards him and gave a pleasant wave followed by a quiet verbal expression of gratitude. He shifted his position, pulling the covers of his sleeping mat over his body and leaning up to blow his candle out.

The sweet melody of the pterolark gradually came to a close as another Zelenoan nightfall ensued. Sky satisfyingly shut his eyes and fell asleep without any struggle.

…

Before long, a raging blizzard had emerged from the cold flurries. It felt as if icicles were piercing the roaring winds and slicing through the numb, exhausted bodies of the Star Fox team as they had journeyed for hours without stopping. Disregarding their excruciating pain, Fox and Falco focused their minds on the path ahead of them on their journey to find some form of shelter or refuge from the intensifying snowstorm.

So far, it seemed as though they weren't having much luck… Communications were still down, and it did not appear as though they would miraculously receive a signal any time soon.

But the two warriors held fast and carried the trek onward into the unknown.

…


	4. Unearthing

"Kuna, I'm going into the wilderness."

Sky stood a distance from the entrance to his hut, firm in the position in which he stood while talking to his companion, who was perched on a nearby branch. The two daylight stars cast their bright rays of sunshine over the Zelenoan residences.

"I very well predicted this would occur…" The pterolark sighed and sagged a bit, "But your decision, this is. If that is where your heart is being called, then I have no objections." Sky's eyes widened as he took a step forward, blinking quickly from surprise as a slight smile broke out on his face.

"Y-You mean it?" He raised his tone out of its earlier seriousness, "No questions or lectures?!"

"Yes, Poljska. I think you are knowledgeable enough to fend for yourself quite well. You shall miss the spirits festival, however…"

"I couldn't care less about that! I'll finally be able to see what’s on the outside!" The young lynx was practically leaping into the air from excitement. He ran into his hut and packed supplies for his voyage very quickly.

Sky undressed and donned a piece of rather vivid long-sleeved silken clothing as well as his usual pair of woolen pants, strapping his sleeping mat over his shoulders with two woolen strips. He gathered a textbook and a notepad along with a thin brush and a tiny container of ink. Seeing that he was prepared after finally slipping his feet into some lightweight sandals, he eagerly rushed out of his shed and made for the trail that led away from the village outskirts.

"Stop!" An alarming squawk reverberated through the air and caused Sky to stand still. Kuna rushed in front of his path, appearing to be flustered. "It is mid-afternoon. Your parents are expecting you to be present at pre-initiation until tonight… What shall the excuse be for your absence?"

"It's simple. Tell them that I haven't been feeling well and that I've gone off into the healing gardens in search of some medicinal herbs… Something along those lines."

"Methinks you are counting on your parents to have a rather large amount of trust in you…"

"I feel like I’m being called to do this, and I can’t wait any longer. C’mon, you understand, don’t you?" Sky gave a slight chuckle and smiled at Kuna. His youthful expression was too difficult and alluring to ignore… The childish innocence seen within the young lynx was strong enough to crumble a heart of stone into unconditional adoration.

Even a pterolark could be overpowered. Kuna caught Sky's contagious grin, "Okay, that is good. For your sake I shall risk my plumage again."

"Yes!! Thank you, Kuna!" Sky pleasantly laughed out an expression of gratitude with a nod of his head.

"Good luck I wish to you, Poljska!" As Kuna and Sky parted ways, the young lynx felt a warming in his heart at his companion's last word of affection while stepping onto the trail towards the wilderness.

…

Falco had finally collapsed in the snow from sheer exhaustion. He wouldn't last much longer in the conditions he and his comrade were attempting to survive through. Fox, who was lagging behind just slightly, immediately rushed to his teammate's side after making a frantic sprint through the thick layer of ice they both had been marching through for the past day. Ignoring the agony that tore at his muscles, he slung Falco's arm around his shoulder and carried him onward with the little amount of energy he had left.

It seemed as if all hope had disappeared for the Star Fox team… Not a trace of it could possibly be fathomed in their current situation. So what was Fox's reason to carry on? It felt like days had gone by. They were starved, battered, and never in the travelling mood to begin with. They were just two helpless, subtle specks among a gigantic field of white. Instead of going out with a bang like they had always hoped to do, they would be trapped inside of two giant blocks of cryogenic ice and buried many meters below the ground. No recognition or remembrance, just a hell of a load of frostbite.

The dejected vulpine took one last scan around the area. Surprisingly enough, even though the horizon line couldn’t be seen, he had still kept most of his sanity. In such a situation, losing mentality meant certain death, so he had made an effort to keep thoughts running through his brain as much as possible, particularly warm ones… like fireplaces. Or his ex-teammate, Krystal.

Throughout his contemplations, his eyes had subconsciously locked onto something far away. Very slowly, his thoughts began to fade out, and his brain throbbed painfully with exhaustion… What his eyes registered was some sort of black shape that mysteriously floated in midair. No, it was rooted to the horizon… It only appeared as though it were levitating because of the snowstorm. What was it? Why was it there? Fox tripped over himself and almost dropped Falco once he lost his focus.

_Damn… Everything’s so pointless now. Falco’s out like a light, and there’s nothing in this motherfucking frosty wonderland to give us any hope! FUCK!!_

During the moment in which Fox had almost surrendered to the cold, the two warriors' efforts to survive were rewarded at long last when the silhouette faded into view not too far away from them this time. A closer look through the intense blizzard proved it to be a rectangular object of some sort… a rather large one. Whatever it was, it provided Fox with an aspiration to use his remaining strength and get to the object as soon as he could.

He grunted through the wind and frost, squinting his eyes shut and straining to keep his muscles moving as they were almost entirely numb. The object continued to get closer… Miraculously to his benefit, it consisted of thick layers of a woolen material on its exterior, keeping sturdy and hardly inching out of position from the strong, chilling gusts. There were long, metallic stakes that resembled the structure needed to keep the woolen sheets in place, and sure enough, there were two opening flaps on one side that indicated an entrance. The whole thing appeared to be a cubical tent…

Fox sped his movements up to the best of his ability and burst into the shelter with a triumphant yell, collapsing onto the tent's soft, carpeted surface with Falco still on his back.

Wait, an insulated carpeted tent… How was this possible? Did Fox seriously lose his sanity, or had he found a slice of heaven amidst his hopelessness?

The vulpine’s brain felt like it was being pierced and beaten violently in one of the worst lightheaded migraines he had ever experienced. Any mental activity at all exacerbated the pain, so he only concentrated on lying down on his stomach while feeling the softness of the ground beneath him… if he could feel it.

_Shit, I still can’t feel anything._

Fox thus tried to relax and regain feeling in his bones and skin as quickly as it could flow back into him. He started by wiggling the tips of his gloved fingers… Then, he inched his arms and legs back and forth until he could widen the range of his movements. Once a few moments had passed, he could adjust his body to become comfortable while lying over the carpet and taking in the insulated warmth that massaged his body into shivering ecstasy. God, the heat felt incredible.

After a few minutes of much needed recovery, Fox made an attempt to stand up and assess where he was while Falco laid on the carpet unconscious… The inside wasn't as spacious as it seemed to be on the outside, but it was well sealed and kept a relatively warm temperature. There was a thick sleeping mat in one corner with a small rock positioned next to it. On top of the rock sat a lantern with a tiny flame burning inside, and it was the only source of light keeping the tent from absolute darkness.

The vulpine knew immediately what he had to do first. His mental strength had made enough improvement so that he could make at least one rational decision. Thus, he strained himself to stand on two feet again and leaned over his avian teammate. Fox brought Falco over to the sleeping mat very slowly by using another bit of strength he didn’t even think he had, tucking him under the sheets in an attempt to keep his body temperature from lowering further. Fox still kept close to the lantern in order to try and warm himself as well, keeping his violently shivering muscles in constant movement to expel as much of his numbness as possible.

_Well, this is a great start. I’ll let him warm that up for a bit, if he can, and then I’m gonna switch with him, knock myself out for a few hours, and get some more recovery so I can get rid of this fucking headache…_

Taking another look around, Fox then noticed a small crate that stood near the opposite face of the otherwise empty shelter… Curiously, he dragged the box over towards him and lifted the top. To his utmost surprise and gleeful satisfaction, there were a few food items of some kind. They looked highly extraordinary, with vivid colors and leaves protruding from its spherical shape… But why the hell should he have cared? What else was he going to get into his stomach?

Fox unanimously decided to take the risk and tore into the item's thick skin to see what lay inside, quickly discovering that it was no other than a pitaya.

Fox had never tried one before, but he was in dire need of nourishment, recalling how he had spent a good amount of time trekking through a vast and hellish wasteland while suffering from a potentially severe head injury, so he removed the flesh of the fruit to the skin and proceeded to devour it hungrily. He sank his teeth into it countless times, feeling its juices flood around his dried mouth and causing flavorful fireworks to ignite his spirit into energy once more. The ravenous vulpine finished the large fruit after another minute had ticked by, and he slumped back against the wall, smiling and humming with contentment as his stomach finally had something to keep it from protesting so much.

It had a somewhat bitter taste, but he hadn’t noticed while he was eating since the buds on his tongue had long been sedated. He was hungry for another, but another rational thought told him to put it off until later and make the most of what he had. Judging by what was in the tent, which he assumed was built for the purpose of survival, there would be enough to last him and Falco for at least a week and a half.

Speaking of his comrade, it was at that time which he began coming to.

"Ugh… I can’t feel worth a damn…" Falco mumbled almost inaudibly, "Where am I…? Fox, where the h- *cough* hell are you?!”

"Hey, buddy… I'm right here. Nothing's wrong." Fox calmly replied while sitting next to him, relaxing as his pitaya continued to send gradual waves of nourishment through his mind and body. "You went out like a light… so I carried you the rest of the way, which thankfully wasn't far."

"The… The rest of the way where?" Falco turned his head slightly to the side, directing his weakened gaze towards his comrade and conveying a sense of alertness.

"We ended up here… I still don't know where we are or whose shelter this is, but we have to stay here for right now. Possibly, for a much longer time. Also, there's food… You'd best take a pitaya and eat what you can.” The vulpine rubbed his forehead and chuckled, partially out of disbelief, “Can you believe it? This appeared right out of the blue… or should I say, white. It could be a perfect little hideout for us in the meantime since it’s got just enough to let us live for a little longer."

“Well I’ll be a son of a bitch. C’mon, don’t just sit there with that food in your hand, damn! My stomach’s rioting!”

Fox laughed again and took another pitaya out of the crate, splitting it open and setting its innards next to his comrade, who weakly reached a wing out from underneath the covers. He brought the fruit to his beak and bit down, digesting the pitaya at a much slower rate than Fox's. He breathed out a sigh of satisfaction and rested his head back onto the carpet once again… The vulpine smiled and looked at the entrance to the tent while adding, "We don't want to deplete the entire supply. We'll take what we need and keep resting until we're ready to keep going. I'll let you recover first, then we'll swap shifts and I'll take a little snooze while you keep watch for anyone or anything that might attempt to make an entry."

Falco nodded slowly and continued eating. The avian got each bite down with somewhat of a struggle, but he seemed to have been able to move his body better than Fox’s even when he first regained consciousness. The fruit was finished at a deliberate pace, and immediately after, he let his head fall back onto the light cushion so he could take another short nap. Both of their bodies very gradually regulated to a normal temperature, and they found themselves in a position where they could relax and take as much time as they needed before they got their voyage underway again.

However, they proceeded to silently ask themselves where they were or how they would ever escape the hell they've just entered… They were without the Great Fox and all alone in an icy desert. With no other supplies and no passersby to come to their aid, how would they survive?

Would this be their final destination?

…

Sky had already progressed further away from his comfort zone than he had intended. The vast fields next to the village boundaries were noiseless… Not even the rustling of its long grass was audible enough to break the silence. However eerie the setting was, he knew that stopping there was not an option. His boundless curiosity pulled him closer to his destination, causing a blend of nervousness and exhilaration to rush through his brain.

Sky then arrived at the borderline… There, a plethora of noises could be heard, but not from a far distance away. Feeling slightly relieved, yet still on guard, he took a step forward into the unknown and began his true journey.

As he walked onward, the creatures of the forest seemed absolutely rapturous and full of life. It put a satisfied smile on Sky's face to hear the melodious song of the pterolark mingling with those of the other birds and animals. He had to restrain himself from skipping because of the ecstatic anticipation growing within him at the thought of making discoveries that could change Zelenoan history.

Hours dragged by, and the mid-afternoon light had been reduced to a swirling orange sunset, giving off pink beams of radiance to pierce through the forest's leaves and cracks in its branches. Sky had been furiously scribbling and sketching in his notepad all of which he saw in the immensely diverse wilderness, referencing everything he knew from the wisest textbook which he brought from the village library on his journey. He grew tired quickly, having scaled rolling hills and tramped across miles of open plains along with trails which were crowded with tall, exotic vegetation. He acquired a sense of frustration after noticing his ink bottle was almost completely drained.

Sky's efforts were rewarded a bit later when the two Zelenoan suns had all but barely disappeared over the horizon. There came a clearing at the end of an excessively teeming portion of the trail… After a few more kilometers of intense wildlife and overcrowded trees that darkened his surroundings and gave off a rather ominous aura, there was an exit through a thick wall of shrubbery which led to a wide-open range of much softer earth. It was as if Sky had been sealed in an open cube of sudden silence, where nothing could be heard except the movement of his own feet. He looked as far up as he could behind his back and could barely see the dimly lit atmosphere.

As he wearily turned around and continued, not knowing what else to expect after how he had progressed so far on his fantastic journey, he lifted his head up and was immediately stricken with awe from the sight presented directly in front of him.

There in the center of the enclosure's surface stood a large, pyramidal stone structure, looking as though it had existed for much more than a mere millennium. It towered a good   
fifty yards over the flabbergasted lynx, displaying Celestian hieroglyphics on each of its mossy, aged bricks all around the ruin's faces. The symbolic Zelenoan Eye of Wisdom, the renowned emblem of the entire village that was frequently exhibited on every crystalline building and street corner, was carved into the side Sky was facing as it almost dangled precariously over a deep cave-like entrance leading to the structure's interior.

Sky took the opportunity he had left, seeing that the atmosphere was altering its lighting into a more violet hue, and made a detailed and thorough drawing of the ruin in his notebook with the miniscule amount of ink remaining. The nervous lad took a quick swallow along with a deep breath, and then focused his attention to the corridor in front of him.

_This is it. I gotta keep going, even if it means putting myself before death. I can do this… for Zelenoa._

He tried to relax himself before taking a leap of faith, walking into the cave and immersing himself in its darkness.

With every step he took into the stone passage, Sky's footsteps echoed louder. He then widened his eyes as he foolishly realized that he neglected to bring a light source... It would have been important in a situation such as the one he had just gotten himself into.

He cursed under his breath as his hands slid across the increasingly dampening stone wall with extreme caution. He moved at a steady pace and finally came to the top of a stairwell from what his sandals determined to be a dull drop-off. Thankfully it really was a stairwell and not a bottomless chasm that could have potentially led to a dreadful death…

Sky kept his eyes shut tightly while advancing deeper into the temple, convinced that it made no difference compared to the darkness he observed when he opened his eyes. However, he was oblivious to the fact that a faint glow was present much farther inside, and it gradually grew with intensity as the stairs continued. He subconsciously opened his eyes once the walls were lit brightly enough and felt a wave of relief rush over him once he could finally see where he was going. It also looked as though he had reached the last step.

He transitioned onto a much colder surface in a more spacious hallway. Openings in the wall, evenly spaced and deeply cut, contained torches to brighten the path towards the temple's centermost destination. As Sky looked closely, they weren't torches… Instead they were uncut crystalline formations that seemed to give off a mystical luminescence as they stood at the tip of their aged wooden stakes. The disorientated lynx took another look at the surface upon which he stood. It was also crystalline, polished and radiant as it mirrored the glow given from the crystals on the wall.

Sky wanted to record this in his notebook somehow, but his supply of ink was empty. Instead, he stared with fascination at the hieroglyphics displayed on the walls as they were made visible once again. They weren't the same as the ones he saw on the outside of the temple, and each of them conveyed messages seemingly in the form of riddles. He decided that he would find their answers later and keep moving.

The hallway's lighting was increasing significantly with every step. Sky found himself becoming entranced by his own reflection off the ground as he walked forward, not noticing the room straight ahead of him at the end of the corridor.

He was then blasted by a wave of freezing air as he crossed the hallway's exit into what appeared to be a massive underground dome. Again, the only noise to be heard was the sound of his sandals shuffling along the smooth, shining surface. Sky observed the outermost surroundings, gawking at the walls and spherical ceiling as they were plastered with Celestian symbols and letters of much larger sizes. Column after column expanded directly from the pole of the roof down to every edge.

The pictograms could be seen very indistinctly from where Sky was standing because of some sort of blue radiance being emitted… but where was it originating? There weren't any crystal lights on the walls.

The lynx turned around and averted his astounded gaze towards the center of the dome. There in the middle sat a small stone pedestal, but hovering stagnantly above it was a huge, glowing gem. It was considerably bigger in height than Sky's body, and soft azure light poured out of every cut edge from the gem's heart steadily as if it were a fountain. It seemed absolutely divine, sacred and powerful.

As Sky staggered slowly towards the gem, he could feel newfound energy seeping into his bones and muscles, causing free-formed thoughts to spark instantaneously within his mind. It was as though he were experiencing a dream… The amazing wilderness he never would have thought to enter, the expanses of beautiful Mother Nature that he journeyed through, and at last, this. The presence of everything that surrounded him caused his heartbeat to grow much faster, and he could almost hear its muffled tone being reverberated about the stone walls of the spiritual dome.

He stopped just within a few yards of the sapphire as he heard a voice echo in the room. It reverberated with a deep, aged tone and caused the lynx’s topaz eyes to glisten over and widen with fascination, "It is good to finally meet you, Gray Sky."

…


End file.
